


A Song Worth Singing

by Schmandolini



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Fluff, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith is a disaster gay, Lance is a front singer and blatantly abuses the position to sing love songs, Lance speaks Spanish, M/M, Minor Character(s), Oneshot, Shiro tries to help but doesn't, Singer Lance, Voltron is a rock/indie band, alternative universe, band au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 15:19:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15888684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schmandolini/pseuds/Schmandolini
Summary: “Oh? And it has nothing to do with- what’s the band’s name again?“ Shiro looked at Adam, pretending to think. “‘Keith Kogane, please notice me‘.“ Adam pursed his lips, finger tapping against his jaw.“No, I’m sure they were called, ‘I put on this event only to show off to Keith‘.“ Shiro shook his head.Keith rolled his eyes, “You old-timers have no idea what you’re talking about“ he huffed and looked away. It was a complete lie of course. Adam and Shiro knew exactly what they were talking about, both being professors at not only the universtiy, but the same department as Keith and Lance.





	A Song Worth Singing

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so. I wrote this quite quickly and with no over arching idea of plot. My first attempt at both a one shot and Klance/ Adashi. The band au no one asked for!  
> I know I promised to work on the winteriron series and i am working on it- it's just been a hectic summer and i fell into the Voltron Fandom as a mug falls from the edge of a counter. So. Here's some KLANCE to heal the hurt that was season 7!!
> 
> Kudos and Feedback very much appreciated!

 

 

 

Keith didn’t really know what possessed him to do this. This wasn’t like him. This wasn’t even like him, in any possibel alternate universe.

And yet, here he was, waiting for a band to play at a bar he was at with his step-brother and his boyfriend, nursing a beer in his hand.

And the only reason he was here at a bar with his step-brother and said brother’s boyfriend was because of the front singer of the band, Lance McClain.

Lance, who went to the same school and kept writing Keith these notes. Lance, who winked everytime he saw Keith in the hallway because he knew Keith would blush. Lance, who had completely stolen Keith’s heart and didn’t even know it.

“Keith! Are you excited?“ Shiro grinned at him, an innocent smile to anyone who didn’t know the man well. Keith knew better.

“No. I don’t even know why you dragged me here.“ He lied, sipping at his beer.

“Dragged you? Keith, you dragged us.“ Adam chuckled, you know, like a traitor.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.“ Keith looked away, eyes flitting across the crowd.

The bar was filled with small, round tables with people standing around them. At the end of the bar was a stage with instruments set up and Keith couldn’t help his excitement, his hand balled in his pocket, the small slip of paper curled between his fingers.

_My band is playing tonight at the black lion._  
_Why don’t you come watch me? ;)_  
_-Lance_

“Oh? And it has nothing to do with- what’s the band’s name again?“ Shiro looked at Adam, pretending to think. “‘Keith Kogane, please notice me‘.“ Adam pursed his lips, finger tapping against his jaw.

“No, I’m sure they were called, ‘I put on this event only to show off to Keith‘.“ Shiro shook his head. Keith rolled his eyes, “You old-timers have no idea what you’re talking about“ he huffed and looked away.

It was a complete lie of course. Adam and Shiro knew 1exactly what they were talking about, both being professors at not only the universtiy, but the same department as Keith and Lance.

“Oh, really?“ Shiro smirked and Keith shook his head, “I swear to god if you say another word, I will tell Adam all about Osaka 2012.“

Adam raised his eyebrows, “Please. Do so anyway.“

Shiro glowered at Keith and put his arm around Adam, kissing his cheek. “Don’t listen to him, babe, he’s just bitter because he doesn’t have a boyfriend as cute as you.“

Adam tried not to smile- failing miserably- and leant into the touch, “Nice save, Takashi.“

The lights changed and the stage was illuminated. Keith’s heart started beating fast as Lance jumped onto the stage with raised hands. He wore a tight-fitting blue shirt with black  
jeans- he looked good.

He searched the crowd and found Keith, their eyes making contact and Lance smiled widely at him. Keith couldn’t stop his own smile from growing on his face. The crowd started clapping as the other bandmates, Hunk, Pidge, Coran and Allura joined him on stage.

Lance took the main microphone, Pidge took the keyboard, Hunk took the drums and Allura and Coran both took a guitar and a bass but Keith couldn’t focus enough to see which one was which. All he could see was Lance, waving to the crowd.

“Hey, everybody! Thank you so much for joining us here tonight. We are the Paladins of Voltron and this is our first song, ‘From Days Long Ago‘! 1-2-3-4!“

Lance hit it off, shaking his head in the rhythm, turning to Hunk who hit his drum sticks together for the count down. Allura strummed a chord, starting the song- a funky, quick melody and Lance started singing, clutching the microphone tightly and turning back to the crowd.

His voice was absolutely beautiful and Keith felt star-struck. Shiro made a comment and Adam laughed but Keith couldn’t hear anything else- watching Lance mesmerized. And Lance- god- watched him back. It was like they were the only two people in the room.

“It was the legend of a hero  
A hero that the people needed  
The people rallied behind him  
To find the truth they deserved

But it was so much more than that,  
When they came back to tear us down  
There was only man who we could call  
Only one man to answer our call!

It was Voltron!  
Defender of the Universe!  
Voltron!  
An alliance formed of hope!  
When all was lost,  
all was gone,  
We stood back up,  
and fought them again!“

Lance sang the quick and happy melody, the bass was heavy and the guitar was quick. The whole band wore wide smiles, bobbing their heads along to the tune. The crowd followed the words with baited breath, watching Lance.

Lance, who sang with shining eyes, who was dancing along to the words he sang, who was still watching Keith.

Keith took a large sip from his beer, his eyes never leaving Lance’s. He dug his nails into the palm of his hand, his face heating up as Lance winked at him. He shook his head, looking down finally and trying to ignore the way his cheeks felt hot.

Shiro slapped a hand against Keith’s shoulder, laughing and no doubt revelling in all of this. Why did Keith bring them anyway?

The song ended and the crowd erupted into wild applause and cheers. It was no surprise they were so popular- that _Lance_ was so popular.

_“I mean, would I really do that?“ Lance laughed loudly, throwing his head back. Hunk shook his head with a wide grin and Pidge pointed a finger at Lance, saying something but Keith couldn’t hear them._

_He stood down the corridor, waiting outside Shiro’s office for him to take his lunch break. He tried not to watch the other students but it was tough- Lance had this way about him._

  
_The corridor was full of students coming out of seminars but instead of leaving the building, there was a crowd now around the three students, listening as Lance recounted a story._

  
_“Ready to go?“ Shiro appeared next to Keith, a small smile on his face. “We’re meeting Adam at the Glaze Phase.“_

  
_Keith nodded, still watching Lance. Shiro bumped his shoulder against Keith’s, “Hello? Can you stop staring at McClain for two seconds?“_

  
_“I’m not staring!“ Keith snapped, blushing and looking back at Shiro who just raised an eyebrow._

  
_“I would be concerned if I didn’t know you mean well. You get this intense look on your face and it’s scary.“ Shiro shook his head and Keith frowned, “Scary?“_

  
_“Scary. Let’s go, you can stare at him later.“ Shiro winked and pulled Keith away. He threw one last look over his shoulder and Lance caught his eyes, winked and turned back to the small crowd around him._

_It shouldn’t affect Keith._

_It did, anyway._

“You know, when Keith told us he wanted us to come along to watch his boyfriend’s band at a pub, I didn’t expect much. But they’re actually really good.“ Adam finished his drink, leaning against Shiro who nodded.

“He’s not my boyfriend.“ Keith grumbled, frowning at Adam as the next song started, a similar rhythm with a catchy melody.

“You want him to be, though.“ Shiro pointed at Keith, raising his eyebrows.

Keith was too mature to answer. And if anyone accused him of being immature when he stuck his tongue out at Shiro, well then they didn’t know any better.

“It was the way that you laughed  
When you said my name  
It was the way that you smiled  
When you saw me there

Standing the way you do  
Baby, why can’t you tell me  
Why you do what you do  
When you smile how you do“

Lance sung, his voice carrying through the room, piercing Keith’s heart.

_Who was he singing about?_

Keith dared to look back on the stage and was both relieved and disappointed to see Lance had turned to Allura and Coran, dancing in between them, his back against Coran’s back and facing Allura. He shook his hips as she played the melody in a key higher, throwing his head back as he walked back towards the crowd.

This time, he caught Keith’s eyes and held them as he sang-

“What can I do when you smile at me like that?  
What can I do when you laugh like that?  
What can I do, except fall in love with you?“

Lance sang the surprisingly romantic lyrics to the fast-paced, almost indie melody with a proud voice and Keith wouldn’t have thought anything of it but Lance’s eyes didn’t leave his face for a second. Keith’s heart couldn’t take it at all, beating fast and his palms becoming sweaty. God, was Lance singing this to him?

“Like I said, babe, it’s the way  
That you laugh my name  
Like I said, babe, it’s the way  
That you smile at me“

Lance shook his head, his hand forming a fist and knocking it against his chest, closing his eyes and sank it with such soul that the crowd went wild again, cheering loudly.

Keith ignored the pointed looks from Shiro and Adam- he just knew they wouldn’t leave this topic alone anymore- and watched Lance as the music took over and Allura and Pidge joined for a double solo.

“Baby, we do this every day  
You watch me go  
I watch you leave  
I can’t stop my heart anymore“

Lance resumed singing, shaking his head and swinging his hips to the beat of the drums, wolf-whistles coming from the crowd.

Keith smiled at the pure joy in Lance’s face. It was clear to everyone who watched him- he was born to do this.

“Like I said, babe, it’s the way  
That you laugh my name  
Like I said, babe, it’s the way  
That you smile at me“

Lance sang the chorus again, bringing the song to an end and the crowd erupted into cheers. Keith turned back to Shiro and Adam, taking a deep breath.

“So, what do you guys think that was about?“ He asked lightly, gripping his empty glass tightly.

“I don’t know, Keith, I wonder if that love song was meant for someone?“ Adam pursed his lips again, looking down at his drink.

“Gosh, I just don’t know. It’s so tough to figure out.“ Shiro shook his head, scratching his head.

“Do you think he means- _me_?“ Keith asked quietly, ignoring their teasing.

Adam looked at Shiro who opened his mouth and closed it again. “Keith, I think you should talk to him after the band’s done.“

Keith nodded and music started up again. Every song they played had a fast beat to it, a melody more catchy than the last and Lance performed each song with such love and joy that it was tough to look away.

He had never been happier to go out of his comfort zone- it was all worth it to see Lance dance and sing around the stage, to share looks with him and to watch him dance with his friends. It was something to savour.

Usually Keith hated bars. He hated the atmosphere, the forced small-talk and the pressure to enjoy everything and anything. He preferred really any other type of hang out space, there was something about bars that made him clam up worse than usual.

Now that he was older and at university he had his anxiety mostly figured out and was good at avoiding these types of situations- Adam said that he didn’t know what was worse, that he found Keith on the couch on a Saturday night more often or that he found Shiro joining him.

But there was something about watching Lance that made all of this worth it.

“Thank you so much! This is our last song! You have been such an amazing crowd! You can find us on youtube, spotify and itunes as Paladins of Voltron! This song is called, ‘Lion’s Pride‘“ Lance smiled, a sheen of sweat on his face and he had rolled up the short sleeves of his shirt- who does that?- and smiled brightly at the crowd.

The last song was a slow song, with a more solemn melody. It was the first song that had a slower tempo, and it started with Pidge playing the piano slowly. Coran and Hunk joined them, and Allura and Lance joined them at last.

“An end that we didn’t want  
The tune was all wrong  
A bad dream that didn’t end  
But what could you change?

An end that we needed  
A change, a change  
Nothing like it before  
And what was I to do?“

Keith didn’t know what Lance sang about but god, did he want to comfort Lance. It was so sad, Keith couldn’t take it. Lance kept his eyes closed for most of it, the song clearly a very personal one, and the rest of the band shared solemn looks.

The song ended on a beautiful note, Pidge ringing out the piano to the last second, and Lance opened his eyes. Keith swore he saw a small tear sliding down Lance’s cheek.

As soon as it ended, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause again. Hunk and Pidge stood up from their seats and Allura and Coran put their instruments down and joined Lance at the front.

“Thank you so much! Tonight has been great!“ Lance grinned, putting his arms around his friends, Hunk and Allura putting their arms around him in return. Pidge stood next to Hunk, both arms around Hunk’s middle and Coran stood next to Allura and had his hand on her shoulder. Keith didn’t really know Coran too well or how he fit into the band but he could tell that he fit in well regardless.

The crowd continued to cheer, clapping along and shouting various things. Keith couldn’t make out the words, watching Lance as he leant his face on his hand, elbow on the edge of the table.

“Keith, you want another drink?“ Adam asked and Keith nodded, watching as Lance and his friends climbed down from the stage.

“Another beer, then. Shiro, come join me.“ Adam tugged on Shiro’s arm, who wanted to protest but stopped at the look Adam gave him.

Keith wanted to ask them why they both left him but it became clear why when Lance headed straight to Keith, pushing through the crowd and stopping right in front of him.

“You came.“ Lance smiled brightly, only panting slightly.

Keith pressed his lips together, trying not to smile back. “Yeah. You’re really good.“

“Thank you. Did you listen to all of my songs?“

“You wrote them?“

“Yeah. I write most of the band’s songs, with the few exceptions.“

“That explains so much.“

“Keith, I-“

“Lance, I-“

They both started at the same time then stopped, laughing softly.

Lance stepped closer, moving into Keith’s personal stage. Keith held his breath, standing as still as a statue.

Lance ducked his head, his hand resting next to Keith’s on the table. The two didn’t say anything for a minute when Lance looked back up with a small smile on his lips. Keith couldn’t stop staring again.

“What can I do when you smile at me like that?“ He sang the words softly, quietly, meant only for Keith to hear. “What can I do when you laugh like that?“ Lance continued, eyes shining brightly as he moved closer and closer to Keith.

“What can I do, except fall-“

Keith pressed forward, pressing his lips against Lance’s and interrupting the song.

There was no doubt anymore in Keith’s mind, there was no fear anymore.

It wasn’t a perfect kiss, but it felt good to finally give in. It was soft and it was theirs, Lance covered Keith’s hand with his and Keith’s other hand cupped Lance’s jaw.

It was Keith who kissed Lance and it was Keith who pulled away again, a grin on his lips. “Except fall in love with you.“ He whispered, leaning their heads together.

“Amorcito, you are more than my little heart can take.“ Lance laughed, a happy sound and hugged Keith closely.

“I hope not. Because now that I know for sure, I’m not letting you go.“ Keith pulled away far enough to look at Lance and smiled softly, indulging himself for once.

He knew he had a habit of pushing people away before they could get too close- Shiro’s words- and he knew that Lance could break his heart in a second.

He also knew that Lance could make his life just that much better.

**Author's Note:**

> amorcito- a nickname for a loved one. amor is love and cito is a way of making a noun cute in spanish so amorcito is like super adorable way of saying 'love'


End file.
